Rape victim moves HC seeking govt aid for childbirth
Abandoned by her family, an 19-year old rape victim in advanced stage of pregnancy has moved the Delhi high court seeking medical and financial assistance to give birth to her child.
Issuing a notice to the Centre and Delhi government, Justice Rajiv Shakdher sought their replies by June 6 on the plea of a girl saying she got pregnant due to the rape and sought directions to the Union ministry of women and child development and the Delhi government’s health ministry to provide assistance to her to deliver the baby.
Appearing for the girl, counsel Nishit Kush and Vijay Kinger said that the rape victim’s family abandoned her due to social stigma and she is now sheltered in one of her distant relative’s place.
The counsel said that the victim is eight months’ pregnant and needed medical treatment and care to deliver the baby.
“The victim is in a pitiable financial condition and cannot meet the expenses required for delivery of child,” her lawyer told the court.
The girl’s family was not able to meet the expenses incurred for her treatment and abandoned her.
“The stigma attached to deliver a child without marriage causes grave mental injury to the petitioner coupled with financial scarcity. The pregnancy caused by the rape and to carry a child in the womb as a result of conception through rape is extremely traumatic but also humiliating...,” said the plea seeking a direction to government to take care of the child after birth till the child attains majority.
The victim said in the plea that she was raped by her neighbour, Sanjay Choudhury, last October and was also threatened not to disclose the incident to anyone or her brother would be killed.
The petition said, “the accused, who is already married, had raped the girl and clicked her nude photographs with his mobile phone and from time to time used to threaten her that he will make the pictures public.”
A physical examination on March 3 established that she was five month pregnant, her lawyer said.
The victim, thereafter, lodged a complaint at the Mansarovar Park police station on March 4, but the accused has not been arrested till date.
The counsel also said that the victim had then moved the court to terminate her pregnancy but doctors opined that the pregnancy could not be terminated as it was more than 20 weeks.
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